Interview with Sifu Rick Faye discussing the JKD family of Instructors

Hello All,

In this Interview with Sifu Rick Faye (www.mnkali.com) he discusses his progress in spreading JKD to Chile, his relationship with Sigung Dan Inosanto (www.inosanto.com), the difference between Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do, and the different Instructors who have influenced him.

I feel that this video is very important in that it explains some of the Instructors who have a very large influence on Jeet Kune Do and it’s evolution.

 

 

 

Interview with Kru Greg Nelson his Martial Arts history

Hello All,

I would like to draw your attention to a Martial Arts Instructor who I have an alot of respect for Kru Greg Nelson.

If you do not know who Kru Greg Nelson ( http://www.mmaacombatzone.com) you really should take a look @ his material it is amazing!!!

But his Martial Arts accomplishments are nothing compared to him being a two-time cancer survivor!!! I cannot imagine having cancer even once but twice is amazing!!! He credits Martial Arts and the conditioning he has done with helping him get through chemo and cancer.

In this video he discusses the people that have influenced him in Martial Arts. One of the really cool things about Kru Greg is his humility and his balanced view on not only himself but training Martial Arts as well. In the world of big ego MMA Kru Greg is on top of the food chain as a trainer and coach he has maintained a very humble attitude.. He currently is coaching UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesner as well as top MMA fighters like Sean Sherk.

I have his NHB vol 1&2 and his Clinch vol 1 & 2 ( http://www.mmaacombatzone.com/mmaa_store.php?pg=store) and I highly recommend them.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I have,

Shawn

Bruce Lee Interview on Pierre Burton 1971 part 2/3

Hello All,

Here is the 2nd part to the  Sijo Bruce Lee interview on the Pierre Burton show. Here he is not only talking about Martial Arts he talks about his students who were actors. He talks specifically about Steve McQueen and James Coburn and who would make the better fighter and who understood the philosophical part of the arts.

Sijo Bruce also talks about cultural differences and how he had to adjust to mannerisms when he came to here to the States. I have heard that from other Martial Arts Instructors as well. Pendakar Herman Suwanda talked about it in his Seminars.

I think that one of the greatest benefits that I have gotten from training Martial Arts has not been the physical skills it is learning how to be more compassionate to others who may not have the same background as me. Learning about other cultures and their history is now one of my favorite things about going to Seminars and meet other Martial Artists.

Sijo Bruce also talks about how he viewed Martial Arts and Philosophy and uses his famous quote “Be water my friend”. He also discusses his journey thru T.V. and film.

Enjoy this clip I will post the 3rd one soon : )

Bruce Lee Interview on the Pierre Burton Show 1971

Hello All,

As I was making my daily rounds thru Youtube I ran across one of my favorite videos of Sijo Bruce Lee on the Pierre Burton Show. I remember when I first saw this inteview I was amazed by Sifo Bruce’s confidence and passion for what he was doing. It was infectious to me and it was and is a huge reason that I wanted and love to teach.

In this clip he discusses what I feel is one of his most important impacts on Martial Arts and society. That styles tend to be dogmatic and create division between people. Unfortunately this is even true in Jeet Kune Do and with this interview you can begin to see why. He talks about Martial Arts being an used for expression and I really feel that Martial Arts is one of the truest forms of expression because you have to be able to control and your mental, physical and emotional states of being separately and all in unison.

I hope you enjoy this video clip as much as I have.

Also watch for part 2 coming soon : )

Shawn

Ajarn Chai @ OC Kickboxing teaching MMA/Muay Thai Part 2

Hello All,

If you enjoyed Part 1 then you will love part 2. If you didn’t see part one here is the link

http://synergymartialarts.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/ajarn-chai-o-c-kickboxing-teaching-mmathaiboxing-part-1/

So for those of you who have read my opinion on part 1 you know that I have an immense amount of respect for Ajarn Chai and his training methods. Even though his is a “Muay Thai” Instructor I believe that Ajarn is the BEST Instructor in the world for teaching focus mitt holding.

In this clip he talks about why holding is very important to get the most out of your partner. Watch the way he holds for the jab so your opponent can’t get into a tie up postion. Also the way that he holds for single punches and for combos.

The reason that I say this is  when you look @ his students and the way that they hold & teach the mitts they are amazing. Here is a short list of some of Ajarn Chai’s students.

•  SenseiErik Paulson (www.erikpaulson.com)
• Kru Greg Nelson (http://www.mmaacombatzone.com)
• Sifu Rick Faye (www.mnkali.com)
• Sifu Dave Hatch (www.attributivemartialarts.com)
• Kru Chris Malgeri (www.maunlimited.com)

So here is the video clip I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!!! Big thanks to OC Kickboxing (www.ockickboxing.com) for posting this.

Now go grab some mitts and have fun,

Shawn

 

Ajarn Chai @ O.C. Kickboxing teaching MMA/Thaiboxing Part 1

Hello all,

I am very excited to post this blog because there are not that many posts of Ajarn Chai (www.thaiboxing.com)  teaching on Youtube. I have attended many Seminars with Ajarn Chai he is by far one of my favorite Instructors to see.

On this video he is discussing clinching and boxing tactics. Special thanks to O.C. Kickboxing (www.ockickboxing.com) for the post it is a rare treat to have quality video footage of Ajarn Chai like this.

If you have not attended an Seminar that Ajarn Chai has instructed I highly recommend that you do. Your understanding of striking will be greatly improved. Plus you will get a chance to meet one of the more warm and personable Instructors that I have had the privilege to meet.

Enjoy,

Shawn

Why you should train Self-Defense!!!

Hello All,

On the cover of the 10-30-09 Livingston County Daily Press and Argus (www.livingstondaily.com) the headline reads Sheriff Warns Of Safety Cuts. Now before I begin this post I want to state that I usually don’t like to focus on negative press or spread information that creates fear. But… This should be a concern for all of us regardless of where you live.

Here are some of the headlines from the article

• Budget cuts have reduced the Sheriff’s Department by 20 since 2005
• Brighton State Police is down 8 troopers from last year
• Longer response times for low priority calls sometimes officer will not come out they will call for more info
• In the 2010 budget plan for the Sheriff’s Department there is a potential to lose 6 more employees
• Local Police Departments are going outside of their boundaries to help State Police and Sheriff’s Department

Not only do these budget cuts affect the active services we see everyday they also effect on going training that the Law Enforcement Officers need on a regular basis.Training such as Defensive Tactics and Use of Force. I have trained a number of Law Enforcement Officers from many of the local departments and they all say that they need more training but it is not in the Budget.

I know that these statements are true because I have personally contacted a number Police Departments for Defensive Tactics and Use of Force training and I have been told there is not enough money in the budget.

In defense of the many of the Law Enforcement Officers there are some that are going outside of work to personally seek out the training that they need. But there are a higher percentage that do not seek out training personally and have not gotten the appropriate number of hours of training.

So what does this mean to you??? It means that if you are a victim of a violent crime there is a chance that you will not get the help that you need and if help does arrive they may not have the appropriate training to effectively handle the situation. We have all seen an episode of COPS where there are 4 Law Enforcement Officers trying to control 1 guy and he gives them a hard time.

Here is my solution to the above problems, take Self-Defense classes. It does not have to be our classes at Synergy Martial Arts but take something. We have a number of classes that are on going and who knows you might be surprised to see someone from your local Law Enforcement Agency in class with you.

Be Safe,

Shawn

Video Post on Joint Locks & Tranisitions into them

Hello All,

This is a video that we shot about 1 year ago on request from another Instructor. This is material that I have taught to Law Enforcement, Corrections and Border Patrol Officers. It could be used by anyone who needs to detain a person. You will notice that it looks pretty chaotic and that is because when people are resisting arrest they don’t come along peacefully…lol

Special thanks to Synergy Martial Arts Apprentice Instructor Jef Lopes for being the demo victim in the video.

Enjoy,

Shawn

Results of last 6 weeks of Condtioning Program

Hello All,

Over the last 6 weeks I have been performing a Conditioning Program that I talked about in my post Kettlebells, Martial Arts and Yoga Conditioning.

Here is what I have noticed I have gained 2 lbs I began this consistently weighing 164 I weigh in @ 166 pretty consistently now. My flexibility has improved as I am deeper in my Active Range of Motion Stretches and in my Yoga Asanas.

I am now swinging for 10 with my 44 lb bell minutes with a minimum of 20 swings, when I began I was swinging for 9 mins and did 20 handed swings in the initially then as I became more fatigued I would swing 2 handed for 10 reps.

On my Clean & Press & Chin days I am now doing 4×5 with my 44# bell for my ladders I began doing 3X5 ladders.

Last night I did the 7-8pm Boot Camp Class with my students and what I noticed that was a really cool result doing kicks on my bag during the active recovery phase of my swings is that when we were doing 1:30 min kick rounds with a partner the more tired I got the more I relaxed. This is because when I am kicking during my active recovery it is time to relax and control my breathing. I found this to be a really cool “side effect” of the active recovery training.

I have just started a new conditioning program that I will post soon.

Happy Sweating : )

Shawn

Martial Arts Student & Martial Arts Instructor whats the difference?

Hello All,

Today a student of mine Kent Nelson (www.tkentnelson.com) and I were talking about a conversation that he was having with one of his students. This student is an experienced Martial Artist and started training with Kent about 2 weeks ago. The student was saying how the lead hook that they did worked for them and they felt very uncomfortable with the lead hook that Kent was teaching.

Kent replied “The way that you are doing the hook works for you but it would not work for everyone. You want to become an Instructor and that is the difference between a student and an Instructor. As an Instructor you need to find material that works for a large percentage of the population.”

I thought that this was a very good point. Over the years I have met Martial Artists that are teaching that have not gone through an Instructor program. They have trained for a couple of years and have gotten comfortable with the techniques and start to teach them to people without the thought if the way that they perform the techniques/training methods will work for a large percentage of the population.

This is very common with people who are Martial Athletes meaning they either participate in Tournaments or Ring/Octagon Sports. They find a series of techniques that work well for them and start to teach it, some of their students (most likely the students that are very athletic) get it and a large percentage don’t. They blame it on the student and don’t want to accept the fact that very often it’s not the student’s fault it is their own.

All 3 of my Instructors Guro Dan Inosanto (www.inosanto.com) Sifu Dave Hatch (www.attributivemartialarts.com) and Sifu Paul Vunak (www.fighting.net) have arranged their curriculums to meet the needs of a large percentage of the population. All of their curriculums are very different but they still have the desire to teach the average person.

At Synergy Martial Arts we have the philosophy that we want to help the student that is on the bottom end of the food chain be the best Martial Artist they can be. The reason for this is that if the person who is an “average” Martial Artist has solid fundamentals they will be able to challenge the above average Martial Artist and make them better.

It is a cycle that I have found to be true as an Instructor as my students get better I improve not only as an Instructor but as a Martial Artist as well. Our new students push me as much if not more sometimes than our advanced students. The reason for this is because if a new student is not comprehending the material the way that I am attempting to communicate it then it makes me reevaluate the how I am communicating it. I then attempt to explain it in a manner that reaches the student. Often allowing me to see the material from a new perspective.

I hope that this brief explanation will help you to evaluate how your Instructor is teaching you and if you do teach are you really teaching your students or are you merely instructing them on your own personal learning style and athletic abilities.

Shawn